Jim's Gym

The Gym. Its a strange and confusing place. 6 months ago I had to undergo a radical life transformation as i'm running the Great north Run, more on that another time. Ok, so the whole 'life transformation' is embellishing it a bit but I did have to join a gym, which is something I had always had an aversion to doing. I don't think they are bad places full of bad people, I mean getting fit and healthy is a good thing, it's me that's the problem. I'm just not a 'gym person'. This is something I've had to reassess in light of the challenge. I've now been a fully signed up member (albeit at staff rate- God Bless the fact Hilton owns a gym chain) of the Livingwell Premier gym just around the corner from work for 6 months and I've got a personal fitness plan tailored to my specific needs. Sweet. The fitness plan is as follows: 4 mile run on the Treadmill 750 strides on the Cross Trainer 1500m on the Rower 50 lengths a week of the pool Various weights inc. shoulder presses, lat pulldowns, chest press, dips and 21's And a couple of miles on this bad boy.... The Glorious Recumbant Bicycle. I think this is my favourite piece of equipment. It used to be the rower, all that sliding about and all, but now its definately the Recumbant, you're practically lying down! Now this training regime is to be completed at least times a week, and it never proved to be a problem. But in the last few weeks its been harder and harder to fit in for various reasons and the improving weather is making me want to get outdoors more. So now i'm caught in a dilemma, do I sacrifice time at the gym, scale down the program and combine that with an new exciting outdoor activities into a new fully regimented program? Or do I continue with the current program and add in any 'al fresco' exercises as and when the opportunity occurs?
Your thoughts....

I HATE IT!!

This is possibily the worst thing in the world ever. Worse than Hitler. I hate the crazy frog. Catagorically I detest it. I hate everything about it.

Not only do I hate the actual thing, its annoying and childish, but I hate what it stands for. The whole business of exploiting kids who don't realise what they're doing gets to me- "simply text this number and we'll send you the crazy frog!" Arrgh! But they'll sign you up to a contract and you won't realise it and you'll pay loads of money for more rubbish stuff! Like those awful Little Britain impressions- they're not big and not clever.

And if that wasn't bad enuff they're advertising it on TV all the time, not just a bit but ALL the time. Every channel, every break, and 3 times a break- it drives my mad. I've heard that the company behind it has spent over 30 million dollars (20 million squid) on advertising! Hideous.

And if all of that wasn't bad enough, its now gone straight to number one in the charts cos they've released a single of it! It's a really rubbishy musak version of Axel F with the frog going "ding ding" over it. And its outsold Coldplay's new single "Speed of Sound" by about 4 to 1! Eh? How does that happen?? Experts say "the success of the single reflects the growing trend for young people to spend more money on mobile phones and computers than music." Hmmmm.

Anyway, rant over. And breathe.

Bar Bar Queue

Important information.

Its a boy!

Welcome to the world Alfie Jack. Its finally happened, after 9 plus beerless months for Becca he's finally arrived. And in the spirit of celebration this is the world's first published photo of the little chap. Who knows who he will grow up to be, he should at least have decent taste in music being the kin of Becca and Lee.

So heartiest congrats to the happy mother and father.

Other famous Alfie's include Michael Caine's "Alfie" and Eastender's "Alfie Moon". (Jude Law's "Alfie" does not count.)

One Big Weekend

Ok, so its Friday night and it a Bank Holiday Weekend and for the first time probably ever I've got plans for each and every day! Sweet. Tonight the plan is to check out a new indie night at the HQ club. Me and boys have high hopes that this may becaome a new regular occurence. God knows this city, considering its size, needs more indie clubs. The current count: 2.

Then Saturday its a my good friend and ex-workmate MP's birthday so its drinks, a meal and a house party. Should be good. Then on Sunday its round to DB's newish flat for a BBQ and drinks with a possible engagement with Snobs after. (I'll talk more about Snobs later).

Then its Bank Holiday Monday, which of course means.......Work! Yes, as ever its another 6AM start for me but I'll be done by 1PM and then off to the Sunflower followed by a trip to casino to say "Ta-ra" to Bill.

Four days worth of plans. A new record I'm sure.

The Bird Man

Theres been a very strange thing going on in the fair city of Brum this week and its all down to a Belgian. The Fierce! Festival is currently on the go in the city (and Coventry and Walsall) and theres been loads of arty events going on around the place. Now most of these arty type things go over my head but I'm all for it, being a liberal sort, so think that this blokes art, despite being wierd, is a really cool thing . Basically this fella is living in his homemade nest halfway up the Rotunda, Brum's most famous building, and the whole city has been talking about it. Each day something has happened. One day he laid an egg and another day he grew feathers. Today the Birdman has apparently 'died'. I think that means he's finished, I don't think he really is dead, its all in the name of art.

A New Beginning

So its about time I jumped on the blog bandwagon. My earlier attempts at a blog failed. Failed miserably. I think it was 7 updates over the course of one calendar year which was rubbish. Worse than rubbish in fact. But that was over 3 years ago and I really couldn't bothered back then and didn't know exactly 'what' I was doing or 'why'. Now I'm not saying that I have any more of a reason 'why' this time but I do have a bit more of the 'what'. I've been refreshly reintroduced to the world of blogging because I've recently set up a new blog for me and my mates, more of that at a later date and I found myself wanting to put up posts and pictures which bore no relevance to that particular blog. How infruriating! So the solution? Lets go back to the Blog I set up last millenium and give it another go. I mean, thers so much more I can do with it now. I only hope this early enthusiasm doesn't wane and it all falls apart again. Well, here's finding out.